Controversial issues on public investment, tax management scrutinised

Friday, 02/22/2019, 08:13

National Assembly deputies discussed several divisive issues of the draft law amending and supplementing some articles of the Law on Public Investment, and the draft revision of the Law on Tax Management at the one-day 31st session of the 14th NA Standing Committee on February 21.

Listening to several ideas on the revision scale and the name of the law amending and supplementing some articles of the Law on Public Investment, NA Vice Chairman Phung Quoc Hien said that the NA Standing Committee agreed that the revision scale and the name of the law will depend on the review of the draft law’s content, with the aim to solve difficulties, promote development, and minimise the adjustment of unnecessary articles or those which can harm the legal system.

Hien said that the NA Standing Committee will reconsider criteria for the classification of key national investment projects, including criteria related to the environment, society, forests, rice fields, and population density.

Regarding regulations on the management of official development assistance (ODA) and foreign preferential loans, he stated that it is essential to rely on the Law on Management of Public Debts to avoid overlap between offices in management.

The NA Vice Chairman also stressed that there are no regulations on the duty and responsibility of the People’s Councils and their permanent members in considering investment projects during periods when the People’s Councils do not convene meetings.

While scrutinising the draft revision of the Law on Tax Management, head of the National Assembly’s Finance-Budget Committee Nguyen Duc Hai said that it is necessary to clarify the responsibility of the state’s audit and inspectorate offices.

Head of the NA Standing Committee’s Ombudsman Committee Nguyen Thanh Hai emphasised that the draft law does not mention the responsibility of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism in managing tax collection over those who work in the cultural and art fields, an issue which has drawn attention from voters.

NA Vice Chairman Hien requested that drafting and verifying offices look back at issues related to the responsibility of ministries, sectors, and localities in tax management; regulations that ensure openness and transparency in the work; the application of electronic invoices; and the use of technology in tax management.

Also at the session, the NA Standing Committee listened to the Government’s report on the outcomes of the collection of public opinions on the draft revised Law on Education, and looked into issues related to the Vietnam National University-Hanoi project in the city’s Hoa Lac area.